2014 Toyota 86 - Second Round Knockout

An updated Rocket Bunny kit that’ll knock ya off your feet!

You're either thinking to yourself, "fuck, another Rocket Bunny car?" Or, "fuck yeah, another Rocket Bunny car!" We can't argue with you though... Since the Toyota 86, Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ blessed us with their presence in the car industry, there have been more Rocket Bunny body kits installed than any other aero package—our green FR-S included! But let's face it, there's no denying Rocket Bunny's beauty. The styling is aggressive and offers an unprecedented look on the street. To this day, every time we drive our FR-S, we have people waving us down, giving us a thumbs up or wanting to snap a photo on their phone! From the wide, riveted fenders to the signature spoilers and aggressive front-ends, enthusiasts of all kinds can appreciate the mean character of every Bunny-fitted coupe. Which brings us to this baby blue beauty...

While Matt was frolicking at Tokyo Auto Salon, he stumbled upon this 86 in the GReddy/Trust booth. He figured it was just another Rocket Bunny car, but it had an aura at the show that made it special. After some investigating, the car belonged to none other than Kei Miura, owner, designer and mastermind of TRA Kyoto and everything we love about the Rocket Bunny brand. Originally, Matt had no plans to photograph the car on his trip but if you were given the opportunity to visit Miura-san's shop and shoot one of his personal vehicles, would you pass it up? Hell no! So during his adventure, he made a quick detour to Miura-san's quaint headquarters in Kyoto and snapped these epic photos.

Just a quick recap if you've never been properly introduced to Miura: he's one of the biggest names in the Japanese tuning scene. Now in his mid-40's, he grew up running around in a crazy bike gang before moving on to a Civic. He'd spend his nights beating on his car in the hills and eventually graduated to something more hardcore with Kanjo highway racing. While he had a passion for tuning cars, he had an unmatched talent when it came to design. He developed TRA Kyoto over 20 years ago and starting designing body kits and even wheels for various tuners. Using state-of-the-art technology, Miura-san laser scans cars and then uses 3D CAD to make his adjustments and styling. A CNC machine carves out a mold and voila, a prototype is born. A body kit takes about a month to make, according to Miura-san. He does everything in-house and has a long list of clients that have used his expertise, for example Liberty Walk and Bensopra, plus OG shops like Supermade and D-Max have hired his help as well. But nothing has put him on the map like his own brand, Rocket Bunny.

So if you're a newb and don't get why Miura puts riveted fenders on new cars—that's just his style. His forte has been taking modern cars like the 86 and giving it a sort of nostalgic, old school twist without ruining the key points of the car. Because of the popularity of Rocket Bunny on the 86/FR-S/BRZ, Miura decided to make an updated version. The biggest differences are the front and rear. On the Rocket Bunny Version 1, the kit uses a front spoiler add-on, but with this new version, an entire bumper replacement is offered. The bumper features an enormous mouth, perfect for boosted cars as it allows more airflow for an intercooler. Then Miura-san added a carbon splitter to make it that much more aggressive. Below each headlight, you'll notice five holes where LED lights are grafted into the bumper.

The rear diffuser on both kits remain more or less the same but you'll notice a much cleaner side skirt design on Version 2. Our favorite change has be the rear spoiler, though. Similar to what Miura developed for his S-chassis kits, the Version 2 kit received a ducktail spoiler which takes cues from Miura's fascination with Nascar—definitely not as loud as the GT-style wing on the first kit but still grabs your attention.

The fenders may look similar, but Version 2's bodylines are slightly different. The front flare add-ons take much more real estate of the fender section. For the rear, Version 1's fenders flow into the door while the updated model flows downwards leading the eyes to the redesigned side skirts. You'll also notice the canards on this model. They're not offered yet as they're a special option designed for Dai Yoshihara's latest drift car.

Just before SEMA last year, Miura's Version 2 glory was unveiled at a local show in Japan. Originally painted white, it has since become one of today's hottest 86 builds with its completion at Tokyo Auto Salon. Miura-san ensured his ride was worthy of a prime parking space at the show as it was painted a custom baby blue, fitted with GReddy's proven turbo system and slammed on coilovers—just as Miura-san has done on any car he's owned.

It looks like the Rocket Bunny brand has no end in sight as Miura continues to get his message out to the world and design kits for our favorite tuner cars. We'd be lying if we said this would be the last time you'll see a Rocket Bunny car in our magazine. From the S-chassis to Honda to the 86/FR-S/BRZ kits, Miura's work will always turn heads for years to come.

Before everyone and their mother knew what a Rocket Bunny kit was, Miura-san slowly started getting popular first with his kits for the S13 and S14. But a hidden gem that couldn't be ignored was his personal Honda Civic. His EF was featured back in the day (12/09 issue). The rare body kit was, of course, designed by him, plus it rocks Mugen wheels, stenciled tires and is crazy low. One of our all time fav EFs no doubt!

You can almost see some of the similarities that are seen in the FR-S/BRZ Rocket Bunny kits that date back to when Miura-san developed his S13 kit. This particular car was Miura's original project that catapulted him into stardom. The aggressive bumpers and side skirts, plus the flared fenders give the car its rebel street racer style. You'll also notice the ducktail spoiler here, similar to the one now used on the Version 2 kit. While this car was slammed ridiculously low, it also featured an SR20DET tuned to 400+hp. Miura-san used to take this car Kanjo racing back in the day at speeds up to 140mph. He's definitely toned down now, but the badass styling of Rocket Bunny only gets better!

If the setting of the 86 photoshoot looks familiar, it's because it is! We had such good feedback from former editor Nate Hassler's photos of Miura-san's Scion FR-S, we went back to the scene of the crime to showcase his Version 2 86!